Roll-fold floor mat for gymnastic and athletic purposes

ABSTRACT

A floor mat for gymnastic and athletic purposes composed of a succession of abutting rectangular mat sections, each section consisting of a lightweight shock absorbing filler enclosed by flexible sheet covers. The especial feature of the mats, which are disclosed in several alternate forms, is that they permit a long expanse of virtually unbroken mat top surface, yet may be &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;roll-folded&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; up into a single, compact stack for ready transport and storage without the need first to separate individual sections or groups of sections. The foregoing is accomplished by making the lengths of successive mat sections a function of their thickness and by joining the abutting section by their top covers only.

United States Patent Nissen 51 Jan. 25, 1972 [72] Inventor: George P.Nissen, Cedar Rapids, Iowa [73] Assignee: Ninen Corporation, CedarRapids, Iowa [22] Filed: Sept. 24, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 75,241

Related 0.8. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 754,255,Aug. 21, 1968,

3/1952 Slayen ..5/357 Primary Examiner- Bobby R. Gay AssistantExaminerAndrew M. Calvert AttorneyHaven E. Simmons S 7] ABSTRACT A floormat for gymnastic and athletic purposes composed of a succession ofabutting rectangular mat sections, each section consisting of alightweight shock absorbing filler enclosed by flexible sheet coversvThe especial feature of the mats, which are disclosed in severalalternate forms, is that they permit a long expanse of virtuallyunbroken mat top surface, yet may be roll-folded up into a single,compact stack for ready transport and storage without the need first toseparate individual sections or groups of sections. The foregoing isaccomplished by making the lengths of successive mat sections a functionof their thickness and by joining the abutting section by their topcovers only.

i 10 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures abandoned.

[52] US. Cl ..5/344, 5/352 [51] Int. Cl A471 9/00 [58] Field of Search..5/357, 344, 285, 345, 352; 206/4511; 273/1, 57

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,061906 9J1... .FQ!E-;-:--;-;;::;:-:;--:;::--20 H5- l s 4T '14 M-l PATENTED JAN25|972 3:636;576

sum 1 or 3 2 3 fm 5 s 7 e P9 10 IN VISN'I'OR.

GEORGE E NISSEN AT TORNE Y PATENTEU mas x972 SHEET 3 OF 3 ROLL-FOLDFLOOR MAT FOR GYMNASTIC AND ATHLETIC PURPOSES CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATEDAPPLICATION This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.754,255, filed Aug. 21 1968, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Modern lightweight gymnastic and athleticmats are typically constructed of blocks of shock absorbing foam fillermaterial, such as a polyethylene foam, and encased in covers of nylon orsimilar material. Even as such these mats are a great improvement overthe older and much heavier hair felt or goat's hair filled mats.However, in order to provide a mat which can be readily transported andstored, since the foam blocks cannot be individually rolled or folded ascan some of the older, heavier mats, the practice has been to break themat up into relatively short lengths of several sections each which areremovably fastened to each other in various ways, such as that disclosedin US. Pat. No. 3,242,509 employing Velcro tape. But the Velcro, orother fastening means as the case may be, usually connect only thebottom covers of the individual mat lengths so that necessarily acrevice is left between their abutting top covers. Even in the fewinstances where removable fastening means, such as zippers, connect onlythe abutting top covers, flaps are used to hide the juncture whichnecessarily leave openings therebetween. An accordion fold, as shown inUS. Pat. No. 3,284,819, is not wholly satisfactory either because therealternate folds leave crevices between every other pair of abutting topcovers. The presence of openings or crevices in the top mat surfacebetween individual mat sections or lengths is undesirable in manyinstances because such, no matter how apparently unobtrusive theyappear, may interfere with or even injure a performer, as, for instance,should his fingers or toes be caught therein. In short, so far as isknown, it has not been possible to provide an extended length oflightweight mat which has an unbroken mat top surface and yet which atthe same time may be readily convertible into a form suitable for easytransport and storage.

Consequently, the chief object of the present invention is the provisionof a long expanse of lightweight mat which has a substantially unbrokenmat top surface and yet which may be readily converted for easytransport and storage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The foregoing object and others are achieved bya mat composed of individual mat sections which are secured to eachother by their top covers only but which need not be disconnected inorder easily to transport or store the mat. To accomplish this thelengths of the individual sections are adjusted so that, beginning atone or both ends of the mat, it may be successively roll-folded" aboutthe junctures between the individual sections into a neatly arrangedstack of sections upon the floor which can then be readily carried awayand stored. For this purpose, the mats of the present invention areconstructed of essentially two types of individual mat sections, mainsections and connecting" sections, the latter being disposed betweencertain main sections. The sections are permanently connected to eachother by their top covers only so that a smooth mat top surface isprovided. The lengths of the main and connecting sections depend bothupon the length of the overall mat and hence the number of sections, aswell as upon the thickness of each. The mat is literally rolled up andat the same time folded about the junctures between the main andconnecting sections such that all the main sections lie one upon theother parallel to the floor while the connecting sections are disposedgenerally perpendicular to the floor at the ends of the main sections;hence the aptness of the tenn roll-folded" or roll-fold. In this mannera mat of almost any overall length can be provided with a virtuallyunbroken mat top surface and yet readily be transported or stored.

Two particular embodiments are disclosed. First, a long mat in whichsuccessive main sections beginning with the third are progressivelylengthened, the connecting sections being disposed between adjacent mainsections beginning with the third and fourth, so that the mat can beroll-folded from one end. Second, a combination in which two mats of thefirst type are disposed with the outer ends of their longest mainsections connected by their top covers only to the opposite ends of thetop cover of an auxiliary connecting section therebetween. Thus each matmay be roll-folded toward the other and then one lifted up and stackedupon the other. The first type can be made to almost any length desiredwithout the need of breaking it into disconnectable lengths; forinstance, a mat of approximately 20 feet in length has been foundconvenient for many gymnastic needs. The second type provides a verylong mat and also reduces the number of sections of differing individuallengths which would otherwise be necessary were the same length of matof the first type to be used. Furthermore, the second type decreases theeffort and time required to roll or unto]! the mat since both halves canbe rolled or unrolled simultaneously toward or from the auxiliaryconnecting section. When connected together is this fashion, two 20 footmats of the first type will give a total mat length of over 40 feet. Aswill be even more clearly apparent from the more detailed descriptionwhich follows, in which certain additional features of the mats arebrought out, the present invention therefore makes possible themanufacture of lightweight gymnastic and athletic floor mats of anylength, each with a smooth mat top surface regardless of its length andeach readily convertible into a convenient package for storage andtransport, all without the need to disconnect the mats into shorterlengths.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is atop plan view of a mataccording to the present invention employing 10 individual mat sectionsof such lengths and connection between each other that the entire matmay be roll-folded beginning at the left-hand end.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, truncated vertical section taken along the line2-2 of FIG. 1 illustrating the construction of each individual matsection.

FIG. 3 is a partial isometric view showing the manner: of connectionbetween the individual sections of the mat of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, truncated vertical section taken along the line4-4 of FIG. 1 illustrating the manner in which adjacent mat sectionsabut each other when the mat is unrolled.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation showing the mat of FIG. I after it has beenroll-folded.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view showing two mats of FIG. 1 connected so as toform one mat which may be roll-folded inwardly from each outer end.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are side elevational views illustrating successive stepsin the roll-folding of the mat of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a truncated, isometric view of an assembly of mats of FIG. Ijoined side-by-side.

FIG. 10 is a truncated, isometric view of an assembly of mats of FIG. 6joined side-by-side.

With respect to all of the drawings generally, it should be pointed outthat the proportions are somewhat distorted; that is, the mat thicknessillustrated is greater proportionally to the mat section lengths than isactually the case in order to render the drawings clearer than theywould otherwise be.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Each mat M is made up of anumber of discrete, rectangular mat sections S all constructed inidentical fashion essentially as follows: Several blocks or lengths ofshock absorbing foam, preferably a polyethylene foam such as that soldunder the trademark ETI-IAFOAM, are placed in abutting side-by-siderelation to form a rectangular mat filler 10 of the dimensions of theparticular mat section involved. The filler 10 is then enclosed in anenvelope formed from a bottom cover 11 and a top cover 12, bothpreferably of nylon cloth impregnated with a suitable resin (see FIG.2). The top cover 12 is'carried out over the upper four edges of thefiller 10, reversed upon itself and stitched at 13 to form a shortextension or bight l4, and finally carried down to the bottom cover 1 1to form sidewalls 12a, being stitched to the bottom cover 11 at 15 toform lap joints 16. The blocks of foam constituting the filler 10 may besecured to each other or to one or both of the covers 11 and 12 in anysuitable manner, the important thing being that the mat top surface besmooth and unbroken. To this extent, the construction of each matsection S is quite conventional.

To make up a length of mat M according to the present invention, anumber of sections S of equal width W are joined together in abuttingend-to-end relation in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3. For thispurpose, the first section S is positioned with its top cover 12uppermost. The adjoining section S is inverted thereon with its topcover 12 in face-to-face contact with that of S and their respectiveends to be joined disposed one above the other. The two bights 14 ateach such end are then stitched together at 17 as close to the sidewalls12a as feasible. The section S is next swung about the stitching 17 asindicated in FIG. 3, whence the two bights 14 are sandwiched between theabutting sidewalls 12a as shown in FIG. 4, the respective lap joints l6assuming the same relation, as shown in the latter Figure, or merelyabutting or overlapping each other, it making no difference which. Theadjoining top covers 12 of sections S and S thus present a substantiallysmooth top mat surface with essentially no gap or crevice therebetween.

A roll-fold mat is formed of successive mat sections, each of whoseconstruction is like that of a section S just described, joined togetherin the manner just related/As an example, FIG. 1 illustrates a roll-foldmat M-l employing l mat sections 8 -8 8,, S 8,, S S; and S beingrelatively long and denoted as main sections," while 5,, S S and S, arerelatively short and denoted as connecting sections. The mat sectionsS,'--S are arranged as shown in FIG. 1, the lengths of main sections S,and S being each equal to the length of main section 8,, denoted by L.The lengths of main sections S S and S however, progressively increase,depending upon the thickness, T, of the individual sections which ofcourse is uniform. The lengths of the connecting sections S S S and S,depend also upon the thickness T. In the case of the mat M-l, acomparison of FIGS. 1 and 5 will disclose that while the lengths of mainsections 8: and S are each equal to that of S,, or L, the lengths ofmain sections 8,, S and S are respectively L+T, L+2T, and L+3T, and thelengths of connecting sections 8;, S S and S, are respectively T, 2T, 3Tand 4T. Hence, beginning with section 8,, the mat M-l may be readilyroll-folded into the stacked form shown in FIG. 5 wherein all the mainsections overlie each other parallel to the floor with the connectingsections all disposed at the respective ends of the main sections butgenerally perpendicular to the floor.

A total of 10 mat sections 8 -8 can easily provide a mat 20 feet inoverall length and yet result when roll-folded into a convenient stackonly about 3% feet in length and 4 feet to 6 feet wide depending uponthe width selected. For instance, if main sections 8,, S and S are each3 feet in length and main sections 8,, S, and S are respectively 3 feetlk feet, 3 feet 3 inches and 3 feet 4% feet, the thickness of eachsection being 1% feet, and if accordingly connecting sections S S S andS, are respectively 1% inches, 3 inches, 4% inches and 6 inches, theresult is a total overall mat length of 20 feet. This relationshipprovides the tightest" or most compact possible stack when roll-folded,but it will be readily recognized that the mat could still beroll-folded if 8,, S 8., S and S were each greater than respectively L,L+T, L+2T, and L+3T, though a looser," less compact stack would resultand rollfolding would be more difficult. Also, of course, S could beless than L+3T in either case without affecting the roll-fold feature ofthe mat.

The foregoing relationships of the lengths of the main and connectingmat sections can be generalized and expressed in a form from which thelengths of the various sections can be determined for a mat of anynumber of sections greater than three, that is, a mat having sections S...S,, where S, is always a main section. First, it will be noted that8,, S S-,...S,, are always connecting sections and n is an even integergreater than 3. Next, it will be noted that the length of the lastconnecting section is always (n-l )/2T or (n-2 )/2T, that the length ofthe next to last main section S,, is always L+( n-3)/2T or L+(n- 6)/2T.Hence the lengths of the individual successive sections of a mat havinga total of 8,, sections is L, L, T, L, 2T, L+T, 3T, L+2T, 4 T, L+3T, 5T,L+4T...L+(n6)/2T, (n-2)/2T, L+(n-a4 )/2T.

A combination of mats M-l is embodied in the mat M-2 illustrated inFIGS. 6-8. There the outer ends of the main sections S of a pair of matsM-l are disposed at the ends of an auxiliary" connecting section 8,, andjoined thereto in the above-described manner. The length of S, is l0T,or l5 inches in the case of the specific dimensions given above for M-lwhere T is 1% inches. Of course the two mats M-l need not have the samenumber of sections or equal overall lengths because the arrangement ofM-2 will work equally well with mats of unequal numbers of sectionsand/or in which the lengths of the respective sections S, are unequal.In the case of the foregoing generalized expressions where each mat- M]has S,...S, sections and L is the length of both main section 8,, itwill be noted that the length of S, must be twice the total number ofmain sections, less 2, times the thickness T. Or, stated another way, S,must span the combined thickness of the number of main sections, less 1,of each mat M-l. The number of main sections of each mat M-l is equal ton/2+l; hence, in both mats, the number of main sections to be spanned is[(n/2+l )l ]+[(n/2+l )1] or n. Thus the length of S, is nT. If the twomats have unequal numbers of sections, n and n as mentioned above, thelength of S, will readily be seen to be (n,+n )/2T. Each mat M-l isroll-folded toward the auxiliary section 8 providing two stacks of matsections connected by 8;, one of which is then lifted up, inverted andplaced upon the other as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Using the dimensionsgiven above for each mat M-l, the combination will give an overall matlength of almost 42 feet, yet when rollfolded will provide an easilyhandled stack approximately 3 feet 7% inches long and 4 feet to 6 feetwide depending upon the width employed. I

Other advantages also accrue from the foregoing constructions. Forinstance, two or more identical mats M-l may be placed side-by-side,instead of end to end, with their respective identical sections abuttingeach other, and joined together by their bottom covers with Velcro tape,in the manner shown in US. Pat. No. 3,242,509, or by straps, ties or thelike, in order to provide a broad mat which can then be roll-folded inthe manner described toward one end, whereupon the resulting stack ofsections will lie off to one side of the floor. An example is the matM-3 shown in FIG. 9 using individual lengths of Velcro tape, indicatedat 20, to join the individual bottom covers 11 of the abutting sectionsof the mats M-l. The same is possible in the case of two or moreidentical mats M-2 which will thus provide a very large overall matwhich can then be roll-folded inwardly, beginning with the two rows ofsections 8,, toward the row of auxiliary sections 8,, resulting in avery wide but short stack of mat sections in the middle of the floor. Anexample is the mat M-4 shown in FIG. 10, also using individual lengthsof Velcro tape, indicated at 20, to join the individual bottom covers 11of the abutting sections of the mats M-Z. In either case, the resultingstack can be quite readily transported and stored.

The mats M-3 and M-4 are feasible in those situations in which thecrevices between adjacent mats M-l or M-Z, as the case may be, are notso objectionable. This is true in some gymnastic and athletic instances.Even in those cases in which no crevices in the mat top surface can betolerated, such as in wrestling, an overall cover can be secured to themat which can then be roll-folded therewith, something which hashitherto not been possible where large mat areas have been made up froma number of smaller, interconnected lightweight mat sec tions or groupsof sections; in those cases it has been necessary first to remove thecover before the mat can be dismantled for transport or storage. Thefact that in each case the bottom covers 1! of the mat sections S,--S,are successively uppermost during roll-folding or unfolding providesready access to whatever fastening means are employed between adjacentmats M-] or M-2, as the case may be.

in whatever form used, therefore, the present invention pro vides aselection of gymnastic and athletic mats of widely varying lengths andutility, each with a substantially smooth and unbroken mat top surfaceand each readily roll-foldable into a convenient package for transport,all without the need to break the mats up into separate, shorterlengths, as has heretofore been necessary. While the present inventionhas been described in three particular forms, being the best modes knownof carrying out the invention, and detailed descriptive language andspecific dimensions have been used, the invention is not so limited.Instead, the following claims are to be read as encompassing alladaptations and modifications of the invention falling within the spiritand scope thereof.

I claim:

1. In a foldable floor mat for gymnastic and athletic purposes, said matin its unfolded condition on the floor comprising successive lengths ofdiscrete mat sections connected to each other at their top surfaces toprovide a substantially continuous mat top surface, said connectionsforming substantially parallel axes for pivoting movement of saidsections thereabout relative to one another, the improvement whereinsaid mat sections include three or more main sections and one or moreconnecting sections, the first one of said main sections forming one endof said mat and connected as aforesaid to the second one of said mainsections, the second, third and remaining ones of said main sectionseach having one of said connecting sections connected as aforesaidtherebetween, the respective lengths of said main and connectingsections permitting folding of said mat sections relative to one anotherbeginning at said end main section by pivoting movement thereof in thesame direction of rotation about successive ones of said axes in orderto convert said mat into a folded condition on the floor in which saidmain sections are stacked upon each other with the planes of their topsurfaces substantially parallel to the plane of the floor and saidconnecting sections are disposed adjacent at least some of the ends ofsaid main sections with the planes of their top surfaces transversely ofthe plane of the floor.

2. In a floor mat for gymnastic and athletic purposes having alongitudinally extending succession of discrete mat sections ofsubstantially equal thickness abutting each other end to end, successiveones of said sections being joined to each other at their top surface toprovide both a substantially continuous top mat surface and for pivotingmovement relative to each other about parallel axes to fold saidsections relative to one another, the improvements in combinationtherewith and wherein said mat comprises n mat sections S,...S,, inwhich S S S-,...S,, are connecting sections and the remainder 8,, S S SS S mS, are main sections, the lengths of said connecting sections beingrespectively substantially T, 2T, 3T...(n)/2T, and the lengths of saidmain sections 8;, S S S S ...S,, being respectively substantially atleast L, L, (L+T), (L+2T), (L+3T)...[L+(n6)/2T], where n is an eveninteger greater than 3, L is the length of 8,, and T is substantiallythe thickness of each of said mat sections.

3. The floor mat of claim 2 wherein the length of main sections S2, SS5, S3, S|0...S" L, L, (L+3T)...LBz(n4/2) T.

4. The floor mat of claim 3 wherein a plurality of said mats, each beingof uniform width and all having an equal number of sections S ...S,,,the thickness of each of said sections being substantially equal to Tand the lengths L of all the respective sections S being substantiallyequal, are disposed in side-byside relation with corresponding sectionsof each abutting each other and corresponding pairs of abutting sectionsremovably secured to each other.

5. The floor mat of claim 3 wherein an auxiliary connecting mat sectionis disposed between the outer ends of respective main sections S and Sof a pair of said mats l and 2 having respectively nIand n niatsections, the ends of said auxiliary section being joined to therespective outer ends of said main sections S n and S in the manneraforesaid, the length of said auxiliary sectioflbeiug substantially(rid-n 2T, each of said mats defining a mat group.

6. The floor mat of claim 5 wherein n equals n 7. The floor mat of claim6 wherein a plurality of said mat groups, each being of substantiallyuniform width and all having an equal number of sections S s 3l'ld 1 .Sr6Sp6C- tively, the thickness of each of saidectiFris beingsubstantially equal to T, the lengths of all the sections S beingsubstantially equal and the lengths of all the sections S 'beingsubstantially equal, are disposed in side-by-side relation withcorresponding sections of each abutting each other and correspondingpairs of abutting sections removably secured to each other.

8. The floor mat of claim 2 wherein said mat comprises a total of 10 matsections including main mat sections 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 and connectingmat sections 3, 5, 7 and 9, the lengths of said main sections 2, 4, 6and 8 being respectively substantially L, L, (L+T) and (L+2T), and thelengths of said connecting sections 3, 5, 7 and 9 being respectivelysubstantially T, 2T, 3T and 4T, where L is the length of main section Iand T is the thickness of said sections.

9. The floor mat of claim 8 wherein the length of said main section 10is not less than substantially (L+3T).

10. The floor mat of claim 9 wherein an auxiliary connecting mat sectionis disposed between the outer ends of respective main sections 10 of apair of said mats, the ends of said auxiliary section being joined tothe respective outer ends of said main sections 10 in the manneraforesaid, the length of said auxiliary section being substantially l0T.

UNETED STATES PATENT OFFEQE CERTIFICATE OF (IQRREQ'HGN Patent No. 3,636, 576 Dated January 25, 1972 lnven fls) George P. Nissen It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 4: line 9, "(n-l)/2T"' should read -(n/2l)T-;

line 10, "L (n-3)/2T" should read -(n/2-3)T--;

1m 14, "L (na4)/2T" should'read --L (n4)/2T-.

Column 6: line 6, "(n)/2T" should read n2 2T-- line 13, "LBz(n4/2 )T"should read L (n4')/2T--;

line 28, "(n

1 n )2T" should read "(n n )/2T..

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of August 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

' EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissionerof Pateni FORM PO-IOSO (\O-69\ USCOMNPDC 6o576 p6 ".5. GOVERNMENTPRINTING OFFICE 1969 O--J56-33

1. In a foldable floor mat for gymnastic and athletic purposes, said matin its unfolded condition on the floor comprising successive lengths ofdiscrete mat sections connected to each other at their top surfaces toprovide a substantially continuous mat top surface, said connectionsforming substantially parallel axes for pivoting movement of saidsections thereabout relative to one another, the improvement whereinsaid mat sections include three or more main sections and one or moreconnecting sections, the first one of said main sections forming one endof said mat and connected as aforesaid to the second one of said mainsections, the second, third and remaining ones of said main sectionseach having one of said connecting sections connected as aforesaidtherebetween, the respective lengths of said main and connectingsections permitting folding of said mat sections relative to one anotherbeginning at said end main section by pivoting movement thereof in thesame direction of rotation about successive ones of said axes in orderto convert said mat into a folded condition on the floor in which saidmain sections are stacked upon each other with the planes of their topsurfaces substantially parallel to the plane of the floor and saidconnecting sections are disposed adjacent at least some of the ends ofsaid main sections with the planes of their top surfaces transversely ofthe plane of the floor.
 2. In a floor mat for gymnastic and athleticpurposes having a longitudinally extending succession of discrete matsections of substantially equal thickness abutting each other end toend, successive ones of said sections being joined to each other attheir top surface to provide both a substantially continuous top matsurface and for pivoting movement relative to each other about parallelaxes to fold said sections relative to one another, the improvements incombination therewith and wherein said mat comprises n mat sectionsS1...Sn in which S3, S5, S7...Sn 1 are connecting sections and theremainder S1, S2, S4, S6, S8, S10...Sn are main sections, the lengths ofsaid connecting sections being respectively substantially T, 2T,3T...(n-2)/2T, and the lengths of said main sections S2, S4, S6, S8,S10...Sn 2 being respectively substantially at least L, L, (L+T),(L+2T), (L+3T)...(L+(n-6)/2T), where n is an even integer greater than3, L is the length of S1, and T is substantially the thickness of eachof said mat sections.
 3. The floor mat of claim 2 wherein the length ofmain sections S2, S4, S6, S8, S10...Sn substantially L, L, (L+T),(L+2T), (L+3T)...L+(n-4/2) T.
 4. The floor mat of claim 3 wherein aplurality of said mats, each being of uniform width and all having anequal number of sections S1...Sn, the thickness Of each of said sectionsbeing substantially equal to T and the lengths L of all the respectivesections S1 being substantially equal, are disposed in side-by-siderelation with corresponding sections of each abutting each other andcorresponding pairs of abutting sections removably secured to eachother.
 5. The floor mat of claim 3 wherein an auxiliary connecting matsection is disposed between the outer ends of respective main sectionsSn and Sn of a pair of said mats 1 and 2 having respectively n1 and n2mat sections, the ends of said auxiliary section being joined to therespective outer ends of said main sections Sn and Sn in the manneraforesaid, the length of said auxiliary section being substantially(n1+n212)T, each of said mats defining a mat group.
 6. The floor mat ofclaim 5 wherein n1 equals n2.
 7. The floor mat of claim 6 wherein aplurality of said mat groups, each being of substantially uniform widthand all having an equal number of sections S1 ...Sn and S1 ...Snrespectively, the thickness of each of said sections being substantiallyequal to T, the lengths of all the sections S1 being substantially equaland the lengths of all the sections S1 being substantially equal, aredisposed in side-by-side relation with corresponding sections of eachabutting each other and corresponding pairs of abutting sectionsremovably secured to each other.
 8. The floor mat of claim 2 whereinsaid mat comprises a total of 10 mat sections including main matsections 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 and connecting mat sections 3, 5, 7 and 9,the lengths of said main sections 2, 4, 6 and 8 being respectivelysubstantially L, L, (L+T) and (L+2T), and the lengths of said connectingsections 3, 5, 7 and 9 being respectively substantially T, 2T, 3T and4T, where L is the length of main section 1 and T is the thickness ofsaid sections.
 9. The floor mat of claim 8 wherein the length of saidmain section 10 is not less than substantially (L+3T).
 10. The floor matof claim 9 wherein an auxiliary connecting mat section is disposedbetween the outer ends of respective main sections 10 of a pair of saidmats, the ends of said auxiliary section being joined to the respectiveouter ends of said main sections 10 in the manner aforesaid, the lengthof said auxiliary section being substantially 10T.